Housing a collection of natural and medical history specimens as well as original art, humorous artifacts, and erotica, the museum is sure to ignite the imaginations of those who love the weird and wonderful.

Here is a selection of some of my favorites from a visit there a couple of years ago. To find out more about Viktor Wynd, his collection and ongoing events, check out The Last Tuesday Society website.

]]>https://talissamehringer.com/tm-urban-artist/feed/0954Sermones Sacrihttps://talissamehringer.com/sermones-sacri/
https://talissamehringer.com/sermones-sacri/#respondFri, 04 May 2018 19:26:35 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=905Yesterday I was walking down the street, heading down to catch sunset at the banks of the Danube when a small shop window piled with antique books caught my eye. ‘Antikvarium’ read the sign above my head and luckily for me, the door was open. I entered a messy room full of stacked boxes and […]

]]>Yesterday I was walking down the street, heading down to catch sunset at the banks of the Danube when a small shop window piled with antique books caught my eye. ‘Antikvarium’ read the sign above my head and luckily for me, the door was open.

I entered a messy room full of stacked boxes and bookshelves seemingly inaccessible without an awkward climb. This place was definitely not set up to profit from or optimize consumer curiosity, but a friendly face greeted me nonetheless. I greeted the old man with graying beard in broken Hungarian and asked him if he was open for business. I continued with a few more stupid phrases, “Beautiful books, I like books…” in a mixture of shitty Hungarian, German and English.

He smiled widely at me and invited me to take a look at the books tucked away in an adjacent cramped niche behind his cluttered desk. He graciously waved his hand to turn on the motion-activated lights and I squeezed past him to check it out.

Most of the interior text is black but the title page has a rich, deep-red font as well.

Wonderful irregularities….

Detail of just one of many ornamental page flourishes.

Beautiful bookmark with handwriting found tucked away inside the book.

I’ve made a nice discovery online as well- the State Library of Bavaria has scans of various selected pages and they have done an excellent job of preserving the color and integrity of the content and old paper.

I am extremely happy to have come across this gem of a book and to add it to my modest collection of paper treasures.

]]>https://talissamehringer.com/hands/feed/0822Street Art Beginningshttps://talissamehringer.com/street-art-beginnings/
https://talissamehringer.com/street-art-beginnings/#respondTue, 01 May 2018 18:16:13 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=791I moved to Berlin in 2012. That first year was an incredibly inspiring adventure and also the year I started to paint murals. Unrestricted by the confines of a page, walls now provided a fully enveloping large-scale canvas. Berlin’s myriad of abandoned buildings, factories, and soviet military bases were a perfect playground of inspiration to […]

Some of my first murals were created at Berlin’s abandoned ice factory- a beloved urbex and party/hang-out spot situated right next to the Spree.

I moved to Berlin in 2012. That first year was an incredibly inspiring adventure and also the year I started to paint murals. Unrestricted by the confines of a page, walls now provided a fully enveloping large-scale canvas. Berlin’s myriad of abandoned buildings, factories, and soviet military bases were a perfect playground of inspiration to learn in and explore.

These are some of the first larger paintings I created in this newly found medium. The abandoned ice factory near my apartment was a rank cesspool teaming with dog-sized rats, but it has always held a very special spot in my heart since it was one of the first places I learned to paint in.

This horrible abomination of a teddy face was the first time I ever used a can of spray paint. I was so embarrassed about the possibility of anyone seeing my atrocious first attempts that I tucked myself away in a small room. Littered with trash, dirty clothes, garbage and an incredibly soiled mattress (I hadn’t been the only one appreciative of the isolated convenience of this room), it provided a raw shelter for experimentation.

]]>763Degenerate Chromatism: Urban Art Installationhttps://talissamehringer.com/degenerate-chromatism/
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 18:32:50 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=734 DEGENERATE CHROMATISM: urban art installation What started out as an urbex photography mission to document the vivid colors and ambiance of a graffiti covered edifice in Berlin, later grew into the installation project entitled ‘Degenerate Chromatism’. The photographs captured the brightly painted walls of an office building right on the edge of the Spree […]

DEGENERATE CHROMATISM: urban art installation

What started out as an urbex photography mission to document the vivid colors and ambiance of a graffiti covered edifice in Berlin, later grew into the installation project entitled ‘Degenerate Chromatism’. The photographs captured the brightly painted walls of an office building right on the edge of the Spree which will undoubtedly succumb to redevelopment…

The installation was created for the street art exhibition ‘Silence is a Lie’ which featured over 100 international artists in 2012, and sought to reinterpret the space and provide a new environment to be experienced and emotionally processed as had the original decaying rooms of the abandoned building. Through the combination of mixed media sculpture and paste-ups, a giant neon rat monster and its grotesque surrounding was born.

The initial goal of the project was to create an installation inspired by the abandoned building and then to incorporate the elements back into it. Unfortunately, the building was completely closed down and could no longer be easily accessed to transport the larger than life urban rat-monster inconspicuously…

An article about ‘Silence is a Lie’ and a photo of the organizers in front of ‘Degenerate Chromatism’ was published in Tip Berlin in July, 2012.

]]>734At The End of the World: Abandoned Teufelsberg, Berlinhttps://talissamehringer.com/teufelsberg-berlin/
Wed, 07 Mar 2018 13:26:54 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=690Teufelsberg Berlin … a Brief History of teufelsberg berlin: Teufelsberg is an abandoned NSA Spy Station built in West Berlin in 1963. Having lain in disrepair for decades, it is now a popular urban exploration destination and street art/graffiti hot-spot for visitors from all over the world. Read more about its history here. about the […]

a Brief History of teufelsberg berlin:

Teufelsberg is an abandoned NSA Spy Station built in West Berlin in 1963. Having lain in disrepair for decades, it is now a popular urban exploration destination and street art/graffiti hot-spot for visitors from all over the world.

about the book:

Only one copy has ever been printed of ‘At the End of The World: Abandoned Teufelsberg, Berlin’. The 72-page photo book explores the phantasmagoric relic of Berlin history in a poetic visual way. I am currently researching the best publishing options to make the book available to a larger audience…

Foreword:

When you enter an environment that has the power to transport you into another realm so surreal and otherworldly that it creates a new place in time, you wander around like a character in a dream or a painting you had no hand in creating. Both as a spectator and as a participant, you feel immersed in this reality and become lost in a new world- one of beauty and decay. It serves as a reminder that you exist only temporarily in this physical state, as all material things do, and must one day break down and return to rubble and dirt.

]]>https://talissamehringer.com/berlin-industrial/feed/1674The Toil of Frantisek Rinthttps://talissamehringer.com/sedlec-ossuary/
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 12:39:20 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=658The Sedlec Ossuary at Kutna Hora, Czech Republic features the incredibly intricate bone arrangements of woodcarver František Rint. In 1870 he was given the task of bringing order to thousands of bones exhumed from the chapel’s cemetery during the 14-1500s due to construction and to make room for new burials. I took these images on […]

The Sedlec Ossuary at Kutna Hora, Czech Republic features the incredibly intricate bone arrangements of woodcarver František Rint. In 1870 he was given the task of bringing order to thousands of bones exhumed from the chapel’s cemetery during the 14-1500s due to construction and to make room for new burials.

I took these images on a trip there in 2011 and the incredible atmosphere and stunning impact of the space have left a long-lasting impression and remain a source of inspiration to this day.

]]>658Dorfkirche Schoeneberghttps://talissamehringer.com/dorfkirche-schoeneberg/
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 12:10:23 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=645The cemetery of the Dorfkirche Schoeneberg … A Brief History: The Dorfkirche Schoeneberg is the oldest church in the district of Schoeneberg, Berlin although the exact date of its initial wooden construction is unknown. Tucked away behind it is a beautiful cemetery full of marble mausoleums, stone graves and lush trees. The church was destroyed […]

A Brief History:

The Dorfkirche Schoeneberg is the oldest church in the district of Schoeneberg, Berlin although the exact date of its initial wooden construction is unknown. Tucked away behind it is a beautiful cemetery full of marble mausoleums, stone graves and lush trees. The church was destroyed by fire in 1544 and rebuilt on the same location out of stone. Some of the original field-stone material used can still be found in the bricks of today’s standing building. During the 1760s the church was again destroyed as a result of the 7 Years War but rebuilt again in a baroque style. Unfortunately, this was not the final reconstruction as fire struck again in 1945. The church as it is seen today was built in 1953.

These photographs were taken at several abandoned buildings in Gary, Indiana including the City Methodist Church and Seaman Hall, the U.S. Post Office, and Memorial Auditorium which have all been left in ruins after years of disuse. More about the history of these buildings and the devastating economic decline of Gary, which used to be one of the U.S.A’s greatest steel industry cities in the 50’s, can be found here.

Fuck Off Media Spree

Urbex photography of an abandoned office building near the Spree in Berlin, Germany. This project turned into a large-scale urban art installation entitled ‘Degenerate Chromatism’ which was inspired by the brightly colored graffiti covered walls and beautiful decaying ambiance of the building.

]]>600Eden: Stop Motion Sets/Charactershttps://talissamehringer.com/eden-stop-motion-sets-characters/
Fri, 02 Mar 2018 11:06:12 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=535Synopsis: “Eden” is a stop motion animated love story depicting forbidden love between two solitary characters… About the sets: Two main sets were built for the animations to take place- an organic exterior for the female character, and an interior room for the male character. Miniature furniture, distressing of the walls and small details such […]

Synopsis:

“Eden” is a stop motion animated love story depicting forbidden love between two solitary characters…

About the sets:

Two main sets were built for the animations to take place- an organic exterior for the female character, and an interior room for the male character. Miniature furniture, distressing of the walls and small details such as a wheelchair for the main character were all made by hand. A thin latex membrane was made through which the character pulls a tiny bloody heart.

Credits:

]]>535Infinity: Short Film Art Directionhttps://talissamehringer.com/infinity-short-film-art-direction/
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 12:05:55 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=521Synopsis: The film depicts the story of a man who has been condemned to wander the rooms of an abandoned building painting the walls with an infinity symbol. He is haunted by apparitions representative of his inner demons from which he cannot escape. About the sets: ‘Infinity’ was shot at two abandoned locations in Berlin, […]

Synopsis:

The film depicts the story of a man who has been condemned to wander the rooms of an abandoned building painting the walls with an infinity symbol. He is haunted by apparitions representative of his inner demons from which he cannot escape.

About the sets:

‘Infinity’ was shot at two abandoned locations in Berlin, Germany. The art direction combined hand-made props with murals painted on-location to add to the surreal atmosphere of the derelict environments.

]]>521Die Rothaarige: Film Set/Costumehttps://talissamehringer.com/die-rothaarige-film-set-costume/
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 13:24:42 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=500Synopsis: “Die Rothaarige” (or “The Redhead”) is the story of a trichotillomanic witch who has pulled out all of her hair in an anxious search for objects that will help her re-grow the locks she’s lost so ironically. She sits in front of a basin of water and when she reaches in, her hands emerge […]

Synopsis:

“Die Rothaarige” (or “The Redhead”) is the story of a trichotillomanic witch who has pulled out all of her hair in an anxious search for objects that will help her re-grow the locks she’s lost so ironically.
She sits in front of a basin of water and when she reaches in, her hands emerge in a surreal vignette to extract the objects that have the magical potential to fulfill her desire.
The film is based on red hair historically being seen as a symbol of mystery, hot temperament, and association with witches.

About the sets:

The film takes place in one location- a primary set with painted fabric walls and large metal basin. As the main character reaches in to the basin, the film cuts to an alternate set created with various relics, old books and antiques.

]]>486Leichenwasser: Short Film Setshttps://talissamehringer.com/leichenwasser-short-film/
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 12:15:55 +0000http://talissamehringer.com/?p=470Synopsis: “Leichenwasser” is the story of one man’s pursuit for his fountain of youth. He establishes a strange, dependent relationship with an embalmer he never meets, who spends her days poetically washing the dead and providing him with the water touched by bygone souls. About the sets: The film was shot in two locations- an […]

Synopsis:

“Leichenwasser” is the story of one man’s pursuit for his fountain of youth. He establishes a strange, dependent relationship with an embalmer he never meets, who spends her days poetically washing the dead and providing him with the water touched by bygone souls.

About the sets:

The film was shot in two locations- an interior studio set-up and an exterior scene. The primary set in which the main embalmer character sits was comprised of a fabric draped table and X-ray covered windows for an eerie light effect. A smaller set made with a fake wall and shelves was located adjacent to it so that the camera could pan seamlessly between the two locations.